LOND POND, Pennsylvania (August 1, 2013) – – An 11th hour agreement between SS Green Light Racing and former United States Auto Club (USAC) driver Ricky Ehrgott will allow the two to compete in Saturday’s Pocono Mountains 125 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
If you chat with the Huntersville, North Carolina resident, he will tell you he’s just lucky to have the opportunity to make the foray into NASCAR. In 2009, Ehrgott tore an artery in his neck during a qualifying session at Kokomo Speedway, which saw his dirt midget hit a rut and flip 30 feet into the air before crashing to the ground. The incident immediately halted his successful career in Sprint Car racing. Since then, it’s been a slow, but successful recovery for him.
Ehrgott, the winner of the 2012 edition of the Circle Track’s Fast Track Blue Collar Driver Challenge hosted by Rockingham Speedway president and former ARCA champion Andy Hillenburg, has competed in two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards races this year at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, respectively, finishing third in the season-opener driving for Coulter Motorsports. He also finished ninth at Talladega.
Saturday’s race, however, offers a new opportunity for the Fordham University at Lincoln Center graduate to embark a new path in his racing career, NASCAR.
“I’m very excited about running at Pocono Raceway this weekend for SS Green Light Racing and Bobby Dotter,” said Ehrgott, driver of the No. 81 Rev1 Power Services / Platinum Wealth Partners Toyota Tundra. “This is a huge opportunity and while I’m completely humbled by the chance to compete in NASCAR, I definitely want to make the best of it.”
Luckily, the Brandon, Florida native won’t have to turn far for advice on Pocono’s tricky, yet unique layout. Ehrgott’s best friend is veteran ARCA racer Tom Hessert III. The 25-year old rookie plans to lean on his pal as much as possible.
“Tom’s competing in the ARCA race on Friday, so I plan to stay and watch him race, but also listen to him on the radio and debrief with him a lot about what I’m feeling with our No. 81 Rev1 Power Services / Platinum Wealth Partners Toyota Tundra and so forth. I’m a quick learner, but this is Pocono after all, so any advice I can get, I’m going to take it and let it sink in.”
He added, “Hopefully, I can convince Tom to watch our practice on Friday morning and help me as needed. He’s a great friend. He helped me adapt and understand the fundamentals of the ARCA car. Even though he has limited experience in a truck, he still knows this racetrack and that input is priceless.”
Additionally from Hessert, Ehrgott also knows he can rely on Dotter, himself, a former racer and now considered one of the most respected owners in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage.
“Without Bobby, this weekend would not be possible and I’m not forgetting that,” he said. “I’m going to learn a lot, but I’m hoping we can be competitive and have a good run. I haven’t really set any big expectations for myself, other than finish the race competitively. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is where I want to be, but we need sponsorship to make that happen. Right now though, I’m focused on Pocono and then we’ll regroup and see what’s next.”
As a bonus for this weekend, Ehrgott is extremely humbled to have the support of Platinum Wealth Partners, especially from owner Dave Potter. Currently, Ehrgott is a developing financial advisor for the company, while he also works around the clock to obtain the funding to return to racing full-time.
“I can’t say enough about Dave,” sounded Ehrgott. “He has taught me a lot about the business of a financial planner and when I told him I had an opportunity to race in NASCAR, he was more than happy to be a part of it. He sees the value in racing and is willing to support my efforts to succeed in making racing a full time career.”
The Pocono Mountains 125 (50 laps / 125 miles) is the 11th of 22 events on the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. The 36-truck starting field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon (August 3) with live coverage on SPEED, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage from “The Tricky Triangle” is tentatively scheduled to lift off at 12:30 p.m., also on SPEED.
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